苦 (kǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “bitter (in taste)”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 古 (old; ancient), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “bitter”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 古
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字·艸部：苦，大苦，苓也。从艸古聲
Memory aid
Grass (艹) growing over something old (古) — a plant left too long turns bitter.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 辛苦xīn kǔhard; toilsome; exhausting (also said to thank someone for their effort)苦 = kǔHSK 4
- 苦闷kǔ mèndepressed; distressed; feeling low苦 = kǔ
- 挖苦wā kǔto speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks苦 = kǔ
- 艰苦jiān kǔarduous; harsh (conditions)苦 = kǔ
- 苦恼kǔ nǎodistressed; vexed; troubled苦 = kǔspoken askú nǎo
- 苦涩kǔ sèbitter and astringent; (fig.) pained, anguished苦 = kǔ
Go deeper
All readings
bitter
bitter (in taste); hard; painful; suffering; to endure hardship
味道像胆汁或黄连那样；也指难受、艰难的处境和辛劳。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 辛苦xīn kǔhard; toilsome; exhausting (also said to thank someone for their effort)苦 = kǔHSK 4
- 苦闷kǔ mèndepressed; distressed; feeling low苦 = kǔ
- 挖苦wā kǔto speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks苦 = kǔ
- 艰苦jiān kǔarduous; harsh (conditions)苦 = kǔ
- 苦恼kǔ nǎodistressed; vexed; troubled苦 = kǔspoken askú nǎo
- 苦涩kǔ sèbitter and astringent; (fig.) pained, anguished苦 = kǔ
Sound component
古 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 苦 mean?
苦 (kǔ) means bitter (in taste); hard; painful; suffering; to endure hardship.
How do you pronounce 苦?
It is pronounced kǔ.
What parts is 苦 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 古 (old; ancient), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·艸部：苦，大苦，苓也。从艸古聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 苦 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 苦?
艸. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 苦?
Common ones are 辛苦 and 苦闷. The reading of 苦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.